Multi-axis Bowl

Changing center points for a contoured interior

- By Ken Burton

Several issues ago, we published a photo of some small ash bowls I had made with off-center cavities embellished with a series of small beads (inset, right). As I was revisiting this design, I wondered what would happen if I hollowed a bowl using more than one off-center point. After playing with the technique, I arrived at the bowl presented here. It features a three-lobed cavity, decorative beads, and a two-color, dyed finish. Overall, the piece is radially symmetric in the tradition of “regular” bowl turning, but using three different center points to turn the interior creates three intersecting ridges that give the bowl a unique look. I purposefully kept the overall diameter small so this project could be made on a midi-lathe. However, off-center turning can involve a fair amount of vibration, so be sure to have your lathe mounted securely, perhaps with added weight. The bowl here is made from kiln-dried 10/4 curly maple. Using kiln-dried material allows you to complete the bowl in a single session without it distorting and with minimal risk of checking. Feel free to substitute your favorite stock, but if you intend to use dyes for coloration, light-colored woods such as maple or ash are a better choice, as they provide more contrast.

Three center points yield three lobes